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Today, in our Index Militarum section, we turn to the final Astra Militarum regiment mentioned in our previous Steel and Tracks article. The spotlight is therefore on the 37th Catachan Regiment. We hope you will enjoy the detailed history as well as the brand-new illustrations, created especially to accompany this series of articles. Feel free to support us on Patreon, your help allows us to produce new original illustrations and to continue offering you high-quality content dedicated to the history and the rich universe of Warhammer 40,000.
Catachan regiments are made up of exceptionally hardened soldiers, forged by the lethal conditions of their home world. Survivors from birth, Catachans excel in guerrilla warfare, infiltration, ambushes, and close-quarters combat, where their ferocity and self-reliance truly shine. Primarily organized as light infantry, they make full use of their talents as trackers and scouts, although their audacity has at times also been put to use within armored units. The command structure of Catachan regiments is based above all on trust, experience, and respect earned on the battlefield.
Their officers fight alongside the rank and file, sharing its dangers and hardships, which strengthens unit cohesion but also earns them a reputation for stubbornness and indiscipline in the eyes of other Imperial forces. This mindset often makes their relations with Commissars difficult, as the Jungle Fighters place greater value on courage and competence than on formal authority.
The Catachans reject traditional Imperial decorations, preferring a system of honors based on ritual tattoos that mark years of survival and combat. Certain cultural elements are nearly universal, such as red bandanas symbolizing blood oaths and knives worn at all times, serving as tools, weapons, and marks of status alike. Their reputation for extreme daring is fully deserved: Catachans handle dangerous weapons such as flamers and demolition charges without hesitation, and they rank among the finest snipers in the Imperium, capable of waiting for days on end in position in order to strike with lethal precision at the decisive moment.
Equipment:
The equipment of the Catachan Jungle Fighters perfectly reflects their brutal pragmatism and their specialization in combat within hostile environments. Unlike many Imperial regiments, they favor light, functional gear suited to the stifling heat and dense vegetation of the jungle. The standard flak vest is often lightened, or even partially discarded, in favor of minimal protection that allows for great freedom of movement. Every Catachan is heavily armed with reinforced-alloy survival knives, indispensable both for close combat and for hacking a path through the jungle. Preferred weapons include modified lasguns, flamers, shotguns, and demolition charges, all particularly effective at close range. Finally, all metal equipment is deliberately dulled with soot and mud to prevent any light reflection, reflecting the Catachans’ obsession with stealth and battlefield efficiency.
37th Catachan Regiment:
The 37th Catachan Regiment was raised in the early 41st Millennium to answer the growing need for armored forces capable of operating effectively on jungle worlds and in extreme environments. Composed exclusively of natives of Catachan, the regiment quickly adapted Imperial armored doctrines to its brutally pragmatic martial culture. Its crews modified their tanks to contend with suffocating vegetation, hostile fauna, and very close-range engagements, primarily deploying heavily customized Leman Russ battle tanks, Hellhounds, and Chimeras.
The regiment forged its reputation during the Boralis IX campaign, where it demonstrated the effectiveness of aggressive and unconventional tactics, using its armored vehicles as true battering rams, closely supported by embarked infantry. Following this costly victory, the 37th was requisitioned by Inquisitor Anastasia von Schtröke, under whose authority it is now deployed to the most desperate war zones. Employed where conventional armored regiments fail, the 37th embodies an implacable shock force, combining the raw power of Imperial tanks with the legendary survival instincts of Catachan warriors ready to carry out without hesitation the orders of a determined Inquisitor, unconcerned with the methods used to drive back the forces of Chaos.
Notable Campaigns:
The Boralis IX Campaign [322.M41]:
Fought in the early 41st Millennium, the Boralis IX campaign pitted the Astra Militarum against renegade forces seeking to seize an ancient artifact buried on this particularly hostile jungle world. Taking advantage of the planet’s natural cover, the forces of Chaos had established strong, well-concealed positions. Luxuriant vegetation and toxic swamps made any conventional armored maneuver extremely difficult. The first Imperial attempts at reconquest ended in heavy losses, as tank columns were systematically trapped, isolated, and destroyed.
The deployment of the 37th Catachan Armored Regiment marked a decisive turning point in the conflict. Adapting their tactics to the terrain, the crews advanced in dispersed formations, using Hellhounds to carve paths through the jungle, while Leman Russ tanks acted as close-range line breakers. Chimeras, capable of crossing marshy ground, disembarked Jungle Fighters tasked with securing the flanks and protecting the armored advance, which would otherwise have been slowed and rendered predictable by the terrain.
After several months of brutal, close-quarters fighting, the regiment succeeded in locating and reclaiming ancient ruins, remnants of an extinct people, and in surprising and crushing enemy forces during their redeployment, thanks to carefully orchestrated ambushes supported by the firepower of armored vehicles. Although the artifact had vanished, or may never have been recovered at all, Boralis IX was ultimately declared secured. This campaign cemented the reputation of the 37th Catachan Regiment as a formidable armored force, capable of operating effectively where traditional Imperial doctrines had failed.
The Battle of Mophos VI [640.M41]:
The Catachan Jungle Fighters usually favor stealth, ambushes, and wars of attrition, rarely employing heavy armor in their guerrilla operations. Yet during the Mophos VI campaign, the 37th Regiment made use of a vehicle as rare as it was devastating: a Thunderer.
Renegade forces had turned the jungle into a true stronghold, erecting camouflaged bunkers and machine-gun nests firmly entrenched within the dense vegetation. These fortifications blocked several vital routes leading to strategic areas, inflicting heavy casualties on units attempting to advance. To break this deadlock, the Thunderer was deployed on the front line. Advancing slowly through vines and charred tree trunks, it methodically pounded enemy positions. Each shot tore gaping breaches in the renegades’ defenses, silencing bunkers and strongpoints and spreading panic among the defenders.
Disorganized and disoriented by the violence of the assault, the survivors were unable to withstand the subsequent intervention of Catachan infantry. Exploiting the chaos, squads infiltrated the enemy lines, clearing the remaining positions with relentless efficiency. Once the first defensive line had fallen, the 37th encountered no further serious opposition. Their armored columns were able to advance unhindered, providing their allies with overwhelming firepower as well as crucial logistical support. This advance allowed the consolidation of captured positions and ensured the continuity of the offensive deep within Mophos VI.
Notable Character:
Inquisitor Anastasia von Schtröke:
A highly distinguished woman, the young Anastasia von Schtröke is of rare beauty. Her refined appearance and sophisticated manners, however, conceal a formidable Inquisitor in the service of the Ordo Malleus. Always armed with a power mace known as Morning Star, an Imperial relic she wields with grace and agility, she is a puritan Inquisitor who harbors a fierce hatred of corruption. Anastasia is renowned for the resolute defense of Paramar, in the Segmentum Solar, against an invasion by the vile Red Corsairs. Although widely respected, persistent rumors surround the sudden and seemingly unprovoked massacre of a hundred Abhumans who were nonetheless in the service of the Imperium.
She has also conducted numerous investigations against her own peers, openly accusing the Inquisition of being overly lenient in the use of daemonic weapons. Ruthless toward her opponents, she has often meted out her own justice by eliminating them. Many Inquisitors fear Anastasia von Schtröke, viewing her as an unstable and uncontrollable Inquisitor. Her presence along the Cicatrix Maledictum has been confirmed on numerous occasions. She has requisitioned the 37th Catachan Regiment to enforce her authority and relentlessly hunt the Powers of Ruin.
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